


S/2011 (134340) 1

by rovio



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 5+1 Things, M/M, Post-Season/Series 02, Pre-Series, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-11-03 19:05:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10973481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rovio/pseuds/rovio
Summary: "Did you know that in 97 out of 100 realities, you don't have those?"or: Five people who saw the tattoos before Shiro did.





	S/2011 (134340) 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just in case it matters to anyone: the rating is for the Keith/OMC scene, not for Keith/Shiro.

Keith is in the studio exactly on time.

The woman doing the work sits him down, looks at the scrap of paper he hands over and asks, “Any preference on the font or color? I can do fancy scripts or copy your handwriting if you want to.”

“No, I want something simple.” Keith offers his hand, palm up, and trails a finger across his right wrist. “Here, on black. Not too big and this glove has to cover it.”

It hurts less than he thought it would and takes even less time. The sun is just setting when he steps out, wrist throbbing steadily under the gauze.

 

Keith tears the glove off himself with his teeth, and then his hands are busy diving into the too tight jeans. The guy, Jim or Tim or Neil or _whatever_ , leans back against the brick wall and bites his own lip to keep the moans in. His hands join Keith’s in the struggle to get the button open and the zipper down, and then Keith’s got a hold of him, fingers wrapping around the throbbing heat.

It’s quick work and the guy licks him clean, tongue flicking between Keith’s fingers and sweeping over his palm, and then he drops down to his knees.

Afterwards he grasps Keith's wrist and Keith almost strikes him before he realizes what the guy's doing. The guy squints his eyes in the dim light of the back alley and says, “Hey, that’s pretty cool. What does it mean?”

Keith yank his arm back and slips the glove back on. "Nothing."

 

"Is this normal for you or some kind of human disease?" Coran points at his wrist. He's been careful to keep his distance while examining Keith, touching only when he has to. Keith is grateful for that. "No one else has that and I do need to know to calibrate the healing pods for you."

Healing pods. Like that's something completely normal. It's still hard to believe he's in space and talking to actual aliens. It's like a dream and Keith is almost waiting to wake up in his own bed, in his own home, all alone.

"It's normal." Keith twists his wrist to see it better. "I wasn't born with it though, it's ink."

"Ink?" Coran looks curious. "What's that?"

"The same stuff we use in pens to write, I guess." He's never really thought about it. "A woman put it under my skin with a needle."

"How barbaric," Coran says, visibly fascinated. They're living in a magical spaceship castle and pull out floating writing boards out of nowhere, so Keith kind of sees his point. "Do you maim yourself for fun or is it a human ritual?"

"Depends on the people. Bit of a both for me." Keith looks up and hopes Coran can take a hint. "It's private."

He can, and changes the subject to human genitalia, my goodness why do they just dangle like that isn't it inconvenient, and it's _excruciating_.

 

“Help me out with this,” Hunk mutters around the wrench between his teeth. “You've got smaller hands than I do.”

The space is still too narrow, but only just. Keith daws his arm back and tugs off his jacket and then his glove. It's still a close fit but he gets his fingers on the mess of wires. Untangling them takes time and in the end, the back of his hand is bloody when he finally draws it back.

"It's just scratched." 

It's like talking to a stubborn wall.

Hunk's hands are warm and sure holding his, and the Altean equivalent of peroxide burns exactly like the real thing. Hunk uncurls Keith's fingers and turns his hand around, wiping the palm clean too. It's been a long time since someone has been this careful with him.

"Keith," Hunk says suddenly. His eyes are on Keith's wrist, fingertips hovering over the black markings. His voice is too gentle and Keith wants to run. "Isn't this-"

"It's nothing. Forget it." _Please_. Keith stands up and stuffs his hands in his pockets, nails digging into his palms. "How does this thing work anyway?"

Hunk is kind enough to let it go.

 

"Did you know that in 97 out of 100 realities, you don't have those?" Slav asks, draped over Keith's shoulders like an extremely annoying muffler. He points at Keith's wrist and the remains of his sleeve. "I mean the numbers, that sleeve is gone in all of them."

"No, I didn't," Keith grits out and crouches down. 

He has one chance to jump over the chasm and free Red from the weird, glowing stone prison. It'd be hell of a lot easier if he still had his jetpack and didn't have Slav, but this is clearly a reality where he's not that lucky.

"But at least you still have your arm!" Slav says happily. He's being weirdly optimistic and Keith is waiting for an epic catastrophe to fall on them at any moment. "Mostly, you don't at this point."

 

It's the second time Shiro comes back from the dead and the first time Keith pushes him against Black's gigantic paw and kisses him. He doesn't give a damn of who's watching. He only cares about Shiro's dirty face between his bare hands and about his chapped lips against Keith's own.

He has to let go eventually and then he just looks at Shiro, only a step away and even that's too far.

"Welcome home."

Shiro swallows and says, "Thanks. I should get lost more often if this is how you welcome me back."

"You shouldn't get lost at all." Keith's voice cracks and he isn't going to cry here, he just isn't. "We can do this all day if you stay."

"I'll try my very best." Shiro closes his eyes and turns his head to kiss Keith's palm softly. His whisper sounds as fragile as Keith feels. "I want to stay with you."

"I want you to stay with me too."

Shiro nuzzles Keith's palm and sighs, exhausted, and Keith wants to take him away and wrap him in a blanket and keep him safe. He wants to hide with him until they're a little less broken. 

Then Shiro opens his eyes and lifts his head, gaze falling onto Keith's wrist. Suddenly he looks wide awake and he grabs Keith's hand gently, turning it over between them.

"I know these." He trails his fingertips on the numbers, on the cosmic address etched on Keith's skin. Keith knows Shiro can't read the other line, written in Altean, but it's easy enough to figure out. The meaning behind both tattoos is the same. "Kerberos, and- Keith, I'm so sorry."

Keith looks down at their entwined fingers and smiles. "It's okay. I got you back both times, didn't I?"

**Author's Note:**

> S/2011 (134340) 1 is Kerberos' provisional designation according to the International Astronomical Union, and the first tattoo Keith got. The second tattoo is, of course, the spot Shiro disappeared in at the end of season two.


End file.
